Photostabilization of polypropylene by surface modified rutile‐type TiO₂ nanorods

Rutile‐type titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanorods were prepared, superficially modified and tested for the protection of polypropylene (PP) from the UVB and UVC irradiations. The silica coating blocked the active sites on the nanorods and the following calcination further reduced the amount of surface hydroxyl groups and thus, made the TiO 2 nanorods more efficient against the photodegradation. Compared with spherical TiO 2 nanoparticles, the calcined silica‐coated TiO 2 nanorods demonstrated good photostabilization efficiency due to the excellent shielding effect and the improved dispersion of the nanoparticles in PP matrix. When used in combination with the conventional hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS), CHIMASSORB ® 944, the surface modified TiO 2 nanorods revealed strong synergistic effect during the photo‐oxidation of the PP composites. The capacity of photostabilization was much higher than the combination with the commercial spherical TiO 2 nanoparticles and even higher than the typical HALS photostabilization system containing hindered phenol TINUVIN ® 328.